This 39th symphony is the first of three that Mozart composed in the summer of 1788. They were his last symphonies, and there is no record of any commision for them. He might have intended to take them to London with him for a concert tour, which never eventuated. This is the least known of the three, but it deserves better. It is a felicitous blend of joyful exuberance and somber introspection, delicate smiles and hearty laughter, carefully counter-balancing each other through the ebb and flow of ever-changing melodies. There are graceful themes for strings and perky ones for woodwinds, particularly for clarinets, which stood high in the composer's affections at this point in his career.